The present invention relates to orthopedic devices for treating hip dysplasia and hip dislocation.
Normally the treatment of patients having hip dysplasia or hip dislocation has been carried out in two phases. The first phase includes a reposition of a hip joint head in a seat. The second phase must be a retention or securing of the aligned hip joint head in the most favorable position.
Orthopedic device for treating hip dysplasia and hip dislocation of the type under consideration have been known in the art. One of such devices is disclosed in the German Pat. No. DE 31 13 981 C1. The known device comprises a pelvis-supporting portion and two upper shank supports held on upper shank guide bars. The ends of the upper shank guide bars are, in the regions of natural hip joints, pivotally connected to the pelvis-supporting portion. The pivoting movement is effected by a pivot mounted between the upper shank bar and the pelvis-supporting portion and formed of a ball-and-socket joint, the movable pivot part of which is arrestable in any angular position. Another pivotable member is arranged between the movable pivot part and the upper shank guide bar. The upper shank guide bar is pivotable about the pivot axis of this pivotable member independently from the position of the ball pivot and can be locked or arrested in any desired position. The movable socket portion, which receives the ball pivot, includes a rotation-symmetrical sleeve or bush which has a sloped surface which is connected to the pelvis-supporting portion so that the axes of the bushes of both joints include with each other an angle of approximately 90.degree..
The utilization and the mode of operation of the known orthopedic device are described in the aforementioned patent.
Each of the two joints in the conventional orthopedic device lies in the region of the natural hip joint; therefore the device is defined by the height of the ball sockets, by the location of the components of the device outside the pelvis-supporting portion and depending on how far extends the above mentioned rotation-symmetrical bush from the natural hip joint. All the above limitations have caused certain adjustment difficulties of the orthopedic device; for example, before releasing the upper shank supports it has been necessary, during the pivoting of the upper shank guide bar, to cause by the above pivoting a necessary displacement of the upper shank of a patient with respect to the upper shank support.